In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 177

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 177

Hunting was a leisure activity enjoyed by all noble men, regardless of age.

Thanks to this, land that included good hunting grounds would double in value.

These days, as early autumn was just beginning, it was fox hunting season.

Throughout the Empire, there were several hunting grounds famous as places where fox hunting went well, and the Baraport Family Estate in the central-western region was one of them.

And at that Baraport estate, the hunting competition after-party had been continuing for three days now.

In front of the Baraport Family Villa, campfires blazed here and there across the large, wide fields, and hundreds of tables and chairs roughly carved from wood were placed.

It was a kind of banquet decoration, imitating the appearance of hunters who hunt for a living rather than nobles who hunt for leisure and hobby, resting at night.

Because of this, instead of delicate glass cups, crude wooden cups were filled with high-proof alcohol, and large roasted dishes that could be eaten with bare hands and just a fork were served.

The sun had just set and the night of the third day of the after-party was heating up.

And from the large table in the very center, loud voices burst out.

“Win! Win!”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince! Just a little more strength!”

Crown Prince Astana and the Second Son of the Baraport Family were arm wrestling.

The Second Son of the Baraport Family, who preferred using his body over his head and had quite a build, and Astana, who was rather small in both height and build, were an ill-matched pair.

But despite that difference, the Second Son of the Baraport Family was straining so hard his face turned bright red.

“Ugh, uwaaaah!”

No, he was pretending to strain.

“Wow, win Crown Prince!”

“Win, win!”

Anyway, everyone cheering around them with bulging neck veins knew this fact.

Peres, who was watching that ridiculous theatrical scene from afar, twisted up the corner of his mouth and sneered.

“They’re living quite diligently.”

“Isn’t that how those fools survive?”

Lignite also clicked his tongue and spoke.

Since this was a hunting competition hosted by the Baraport Family, a vassal family of Angenas, it was a gathering swarming only with nobles supporting the Crown Prince.

“But that Crown Prince looks sincere though?”

“Could he really not know?”

These were Academy classmates Steeli and Tedro, who had recently joined Lignite and Peres.

“What would he know, that idiot.”

Lignite spoke harshly, but the other two didn’t agree.

Steeli, who had been seriously watching Astana, spoke first in a quiet voice.

“1 silver on ‘doesn’t know.'”

Then Tedro shook his head, wagging one finger as if to say ‘what do you mean.’

“I bet 2 silver on ‘knows but pretends not to because of pride.'”

“Oh, that sounds plausible? Then I’ll change to that too.”

“What? Then the bet doesn’t work!”

While the two were bickering like this, the arm wrestling was coming to an end.

The arm of the Baraport Family’s second son, who seemed to be holding out a bit, finally began to tilt back little by little.

“Ooh!”

“Your Highness! Just a little more!”

The cheering around them also became more intense.

And finally.

Thud!

The Second Son of the Baraport Family collapsed helplessly to the side, his hand touching the ground.

“Waah!”

“As expected of Your Highness!”

Among the Baraport Family’s second son hitting the table as if frustrated and the cheering young nobles, Astana clenched his fist tightly.

He looked completely intoxicated with victory.

“…What a pathetic display.”

Peres soothed his disgusted stomach with such words and approached Astana step by step.

“Uhahahaha! This is my strength! Haha, did you see? Did you see…”

Astana, who had been laughing loudly, stopped speaking when he saw Peres walking over.

And he frowned deeply.

He showed no intention of hiding his inner thoughts.

“What are you?”

Astana looked Peres up and down first and asked.

“…The arm wrestling looked fun.”

Peres answered while looking around at the surrounding nobles.

“I was thinking of joining in.”

At the same time, the surroundings became quiet.

As everyone silently exchanged glances and read the mood, an awkward atmosphere flowed.

“You, you…”

Astana stammered.

“You have to beat that guy first to earn the right to challenge me! How could you not know that!”

Astana hastily pointed at the Baraport Family’s second son and spoke.

Peres’s red eyes slowly turned in that direction.

Flinch.

The Second Son of the Baraport Family, who had been cleverly acting while appeasing Astana until just moments ago, couldn’t even properly meet Peres’s eyes.

There were so many rumors he’d heard about the Second Prince, and since the Baraport Family had already sided with the Crown Prince, his fear was greater.

Peres, who had been silent for a moment, lightly shook his head.

“No. Since I already beat you in the hunting competition, I should have the right to challenge you directly to arm wrestling, shouldn’t I?”

Peres’s somewhat sharp voice echoed low across the field.

Now all the nobles were looking only at Astana.

Peres’s words were correct.

In the hunting competition a few days ago, Peres had beaten Astana.

By a very overwhelming margin at that.

Astana’s under-eyes twitched several times before he shouted.

“Hmph! How would I know whether that was your skill or your subordinates’ skill!”

Peres’s subordinates referred to Lignite, Tedro, and Steeli, who had participated as assistants in the hunting competition together.

“You participated with five subordinates. But catching only that many foxes – is it because you’re terrible or because your subordinates are terrible?”

“You, you lowborn thing! Show respect to the Crown Prince, you lowborn thing!”

In the end, Astana was trembling again and going on about ‘lowborn thing.’

Peres was annoyed.

To think that something like that is my opponent.

His mother, the Empress, had been somewhat worth fighting, but Astana was not.

He was a pathetic competitor who extinguished even the remaining embers of competitive spirit.

Step.

Peres took a step closer.

And looking down at him, he said.

“You should be grateful that I share about half the same blood as you, Astana.”

“Ugh.”

Astana was overwhelmed by Peres’s aura and couldn’t even speak properly.

Peres snickered at such a pathetic sight of Astana and said.

“Are you frustrated?”

“I, I am the legitimate eldest son of the Lambru Empire…”

“Shh.”

Peres raised his index finger and brought it to his own lips.

If Astana spouted any more nonsense, he might really want to kill him right here on the spot.

Fortunately, Astana listened well to Peres’s words.

With a satisfied smile, Peres spoke in an even quieter voice.

“If you’re really that great, if you want to beat me, then participate in the hunting competition held in Lombardy Territory next month.”

Astana’s blue eyes wavered.

Peres could see in his red eyes how that dull head was spinning furiously.

The hunting competition held every late autumn in Lombardy Territory was one of the largest in the Empire.

That’s why there were many participants, and the honor of winning was great.

And most importantly, it was set against hunting grounds incomparably vast compared to other places.

In other words, it was easy to manipulate.

People helping Astana could participate in the hunting competition under their own names and switch their prey with Astana’s – it was perfect for such schemes.

Knowing this well, a sly light of hope flickered in Astana’s eyes.

Watching this carefully, Peres deliberately added as if he knew nothing.

“In that competition where you have to participate alone, we’ll be able to properly test our skills against each other.”

“Y-yes! That’s right! I’ll submit my application as soon as I return to the Imperial Palace, so don’t you dare run away!”

Astana immediately became triumphant and shouted.

Seeing him swagger as soon as he found a way to cheat made Peres feel disgusted.

He thought he could now understand what Tia meant when she said “stupidity is contagious.”

Shaking his head as he walked away, Astana continued shouting at Peres’s retreating back.

“I’ll completely flatten that arrogant nose of yours at the hunting competition! Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

“Wahahahaha!”

Like a round song, the other nobles all burst into laughter in unison.

Steeli, who had been following behind Peres as they returned to the castle, approached and whispered quietly.

“Um, Your Highness.”

“What is it, Steeli.”

“Is that person really your half-brother?”

“…”

Peres quietly frowned.

Steeli glanced back at Astana again and said.

“That guy, even if we pricked his horse with a needle and disguised it as a riding accident to kill him, no one would think it strange, right?”

“Right, everyone would say an idiot died doing idiotic things. Completely natural death, how about it?”

“Or it would be good if he shot a poison arrow at his own foot and died.”

“Wow, hey, that’s good!”

Steeli and Tedro giggled as they recited plausible accidental death scenarios.

Until Lignite, reading Peres’s uncomfortable mood, tapped both of them on the back.

In the end, no conversation was exchanged until they returned to the room where Peres was staying.

And finally, when only the four of them remained in the room, Peres spoke.

“Getting rid of Astana right now wouldn’t be difficult. But the problem would still remain.”

The problem, namely, was the Empress.

The real target of revenge had always been the Empress.

“We need to bring them down together.”

Peres said as he roughly untied the strings of his cloak.

“And I can’t let them off that easily.”

Thud.

The carelessly thrown cloak landed heavily on the ornate chair.

“Are the preparations for that matter finished?”

Peres asked Lignite.

“Yes, Ramona is returning from Sersheu to the Imperial Capital, so we’ll start immediately when she arrives.”

“Proceed carefully without any hitches.”

“Got it. Don’t worry about it, just focus on faithfully playing the role of the Lombardi young lady’s fiancé.”

Suddenly.

Peres, who had been crossing his long legs gracefully, stopped moving.

His red eyes glared at Lignite, but Lignite, already immune to such looks, only smiled broadly.

“Oh, the Lombardi young lady, you mean that…”

“We’d like to meet her too. You never show us. Your Highness, that’s too much…”

“Shut up.”

Peres said in an annoyed tone as he picked up a book from the desk.

Thud.

Then an envelope that had been on the book fell.

Picking it up, Peres asked Tedro.

“When did this letter arrive?”

“This morning…? It arrived while Your Highness was doing sword training.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Peres was angry at Tedro.

“Ah, no, I… Since when has Your Highness cared so much about letters…”

Lignite tapped the shoulder of the aggrieved Tedro.

“See the color of that letter? Remember it well. That one’s special.”

Regardless of what his companions were discussing, Peres hurriedly tore open the letter.

His eyes moved busily as he read through the contents.

And then.

“Gasp!”

Steeli and Tedro covered their mouths in shock.

“D-did His Highness just…”

“Smile?”

A quiet smile was blooming on Peres’s face as he read the letter line by line.

It was a smile as warm and tender as the light pink color of the letter paper.

“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”

Lignite felt completely vindicated now that the two who hadn’t believed his words finally saw another side of Peres.

Now he wouldn’t be treated like a liar anymore.

“This is unbelievable…”

Steeli was so shocked he even held his head in his hands.

Then Peres suddenly stood up from where he was sitting.

And put his cloak back on.

“Where are you going?”

Lignite asked.

“The Imperial Capital.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

After fastening his cloak, Peres even grabbed his sword.

“W-wait a minute, Your Highness!”

“You have to give us time to prepare too!”

The three finally came to their senses and began moving frantically to follow Peres.

Then Lignite said to Peres with a tearful expression.

“No, if we leave now, you’re saying we’ll ride through the night?!”

“Yes.”

“Why so suddenly! Let’s go at dawn tomorrow! At least wait until daybreak!”

But Peres firmly shook his head.

“No.”

After his short answer, Peres began walking toward the stables where the horses were.

Frustrated, Lignite shouted at his retreating back.

“Why! Why won’t it work!”

Then Peres ran halfway down the staircase and answered.

“Because Tia called for me.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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